Buy No. 4 Conjuncture (Kenya) if you drink your coffee black and want it bright, with orange, lemon and floral notes. Buy No. 3 Position (Sumatra) if you want dark chocolate, dried fruit and an earthy cup, or if you add milk. Both are $28 for 12 oz, whole bean or ground, with free shipping in the US, so the choice is about taste only. The roaster does not declare a roast level for either coffee, so we will not guess one.
How do they compare side by side?
Everything in this table comes from the label of each bag.
| No. 3 Position | No. 4 Conjuncture | |
|---|---|---|
| Country | Indonesia | Kenya |
| Region | Aceh, Takengon | Othaya, Nyeri County |
| Altitude | 1,100 to 1,600 m | 1,700 to 1,890 m |
| Process | Wet-hulled (giling basah) | Fully washed, dried on raised beds |
| Varietal | Tim Tim, Typica, Ateng, Onan Ganjang, Jember | SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11, Batian |
| Notes | Dark chocolate, dried fruit, earthy | Orange, lemon, floral |
| Roast level | Not declared | Not declared |
| Best for | Espresso, moka and anything with milk | Black, as a pour-over |
| Price | $28 for 12 oz | $28 for 12 oz |
Why do they taste so different?
Two things on the label explain most of it: altitude and process.
Conjuncture grows higher, at 1,700 to 1,890 m, and it is fully washed. In a fully washed coffee the fruit is removed before the beans dry, and the beans are dried on raised beds. Washed coffees are commonly described as clean, with the flavor of the bean itself in front. Our label notes for it are orange, lemon and floral, which is a citrus and flower cup.
Position is wet-hulled, a method known as giling basah in Indonesia. In wet-hulling the parchment is taken off while the bean is still damp, then the beans finish drying. This is common public knowledge about Sumatran coffee, and it is widely linked with a heavy, earthy cup. Our label says dark chocolate, dried fruit and earthy, which fits that description.
Put simply, one is a citrus coffee and the other is a chocolate coffee. If you have only had one of them, the other will taste like a different drink.
Which one is better with milk, and which is better black?
Position is the one we point to for milk. The label says it holds its shape under milk and under ice, and it suggests espresso at 1:2 in 28 seconds, or a moka pot. A chocolate and dried fruit cup does not get lost in a latte.
Conjuncture is the one for a black cup. The label calls it the coffee you make when you want the coffee to be the loudest thing in the room, and it suggests a pour-over a touch coarser than usual at 94 °C (201 °F). The label is also direct that Kenya is acidic on purpose. If it tastes sour rather than bright, grind finer. Our pour-over coffee too sour post has the order of changes.
Which one should you buy?
- Buy No. 3 Position if you like dark chocolate, if you drink lattes or flat whites, if you own a moka pot, or if you want an espresso that does not turn sharp.
- Buy No. 4 Conjuncture if you like fruit and tea-like cups, if you drink black coffee, or if you brew with a pour-over cone or a Chemex.
- Cannot decide? Put one of each on a subscription (11% off, skip or cancel in one click) and switch whenever you like.
If you want a longer description of each cup before you choose, we wrote one for each: what No. 3 Position tastes like and what No. 4 Conjuncture tastes like. For the full way we brew Kenya, see the No. 4 Conjuncture brewing guide.
What about the other ten?
There are ten coffees in total. If neither of these two sounds right, all ten coffees are on one page, and each one is $28.
Our pick
No. 4 Conjuncture
Othaya, Nyeri County, Kenya · 1,700 to 1,890 m · Fully washed, dried on raised beds · SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11, Batian
Orange, lemon and floral on the label, for the black cup where you want the coffee to be the loudest thing in the room.
Our pick
No. 3 Position
Aceh, Takengon, Indonesia · 1,100 to 1,600 m · Wet-hulled (giling basah) · Tim Tim, Typica, Ateng, Onan Ganjang, Jember
Dark chocolate, dried fruit and earthy on the label, and it holds its shape under milk and under ice.
Pick the cup you want to drink most mornings, and let the other one be the second bag.
Questions people ask
Is Sumatran coffee stronger than Kenyan coffee?
Not in caffeine, as far as we can say from the label, which gives no caffeine figures. Position tastes heavier, with dark chocolate and earthy notes, and Conjuncture tastes brighter, with orange and lemon. Heavier is not the same as stronger.
Which is better for espresso, Sumatran or Kenyan coffee?
Our label recommends No. 3 Position for espresso at 1:2 in 28 seconds, and says it holds up under milk. Kenya is brewed best as a pour-over, and it is bright on purpose, so it tends to be sharper as espresso.
Is Kenyan coffee more acidic than Sumatran coffee?
Our Kenyan label notes are orange, lemon and floral, and the label says Kenya is acidic on purpose. Position's notes are dark chocolate, dried fruit and earthy, so it reads as softer on the tongue.
Free printable
Keep the ratio chart on your fridge
One page with grams, level tablespoons and scoops for every cup size and for coffee makers from 2 to 14 cups. Leave your email and the download link appears right here.